Made with a Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM Lens.
Sometimes you’ve just got to bust out the 40mm pancake lens, set the aperture wide open and let it rip. I was initially drawn out by some interesting storm clouds off to the west but my attention soon turned to my purple coneflowers just chilling in the moody twilight glow; ominous skies have a thing for casting unique light and it’s always worth paying attention to.
With a wide open aperture comes a shallow depth of field—an effect that has excited me since my earliest days of photography (when I first realized what the hell depth of field was and learned how to achieve it). You’re always going to trade-off sharpness and soft corners while wide open but based on your intent it may be just the look you’re going for. Such was the case here.
As an added ode to my 40, since I’ve added this little guy to my bag my 50mm has seen almost no action. I know photographers the world over laude the potential of the nifty fifty but I just never seem to shoot with it any more (as of this post no photos here have been taken with my 50mm). I’m just drawn to the smallness, convenience, and overall versatility of this cheap little pancake prime.
After work yesterday I was milling about my front yard taking in the fresh blossoms and the last of the late day sun. Three cheers for later sunsets. At this early stage of Spring my two callery pear trees are in their full blooming glory. As the fading light of golden hour was dancing on the blossoms I made a quick shot with my mobile phone for Instagram. Inspired, I thought let me grab my camera and make an even better picture.
Racing against fading light I grabbed my Canon, affixed my 40mm pancake, and fired off some shots. Sticking with a similar vibe from the cell phone photograph, I kept my lens pointed skyward, selectively focusing on the branch and blossoms at the bottom left of the capture. When it came time for post-processing I was running through some packaged presets in Nik Software’s Color Efex Pro 4. I happily settled on the film grain preset. I felt the high key treatment really brought out the pastels and subtle hints of yellow and gold from the departing sun, and the grain brought an appropriately aged feel. This type of photograph is a departure from my norm—making it all the more worthwhile. I hope you enjoy.
Friends and I decided to make our way to Washington D.C. this weekend to behold what is peak season of the District’s famed cherry blossoms. About a million other people had the same idea.
Battling crowds, long walks, and beautiful weather, we made our way about the National Mall. Craning our necks toward monuments from afar, and making a late afternoon pit stop at the National Cherry Blossom Festival. One chicken on a stick and some cosplay people watching later and we were making our way back toward the Tidal Basin for the would-be glory of golden hour.
Fighting throngs of revelers making the most of the wondrous spring weather, it became readily apparent that making any kind of sweeping landscape shot was not going to happen. There was simply too many people armed with camera phones to set up shop. My friends and I resorted to bumping our way through the crowds firing off occasional shots whenever we had a moment to breathe and extend our elbows.
All complaints aside, it was a good time had by all.
Yesterday morning I woke up to a late season South Jersey Special. Which is to say we received about 6 inches of snow in Manahawkin while the good folks to the north (about 40 miles) saw next to nothing. You win some, you lose some in New Jersey. Wanting to make the most of the fresh fallen snow my buddy and I made for the Pinelands. After about 3 abrupt U-turns we pulled down a small little trail.
I started the shoot with my 40mm pancake lens—it seems like months since I’ve taken it for a spin. Not far from the truck I quickly framed up a shot, focusing on the trail that doglegs to the left back behind the pines. It advances the story and leads us wondering what’s around the bend. I didn’t know it at the time but this would wind up as my shot of the day. Different from my usual style, this grainy black and white calls for your attention at simply cuts out the rest.